Road-machine.



W. A. DEAN.

ROAD MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, I915 Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

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W. A. DEAN.

ROAD MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2a. 1915.

Patented Oct. 24,1916.

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W. A. DEAN.

, ROAD MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.23.19I5.

1 www Patented Oct. 24,1916.

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WILLIAM A. DEAN, OF MIDLAND, TEXAS.

ROAD-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

Application filed March 23, 1915. Serial No. 16,425.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. DEAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Midland, in the county of Midland and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention is primarily designed to provide a machine for resurfacingroads or preparing new roads'in the construction of highways fortraflic.

The invention provides a machine which may be readily adapted forthrowing the earth from the center outward or from the sides of the roadinward toward the center depending upon the nature and condition of theroads surface.

The machine is also of such construction as to admit of the scraperbeing readily raised or lowered, so as to remove high places, or fill inruts or low places in the surface with the result of leveling theroadway, the machine including drags or shoes for compressing sideportions of the roadway which are adapted to sustain the wear and actionof the wheel of vehicles and other carriers traveling thereover.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of partswhich will be hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationis necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of theinvention as claimed may be resorted to when desired.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is a top plan view of a road machineembodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is avertical central longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a detail perspective view of the mountings for one of the scraperblades. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the front portion of the machinehaving the scraper blades interchanged so as to throw the earth from thesides of the road inward toward the center.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawmgsby the same reference characters.

The machine embodies a truck and a main frame, the latter being providedwith the scraper blades and the drags or shoes and being adjustable toadmit of the scraper blades being elevated or lowered according to theresult to be attained.

The truck comprises an axle 1, ground wheels 2, and a bolster 3, thelatter having the axle l clipped or otherwise secured thereto, suchbolster being thin and wide and arranged with its width in a verticalposition so as to cooperate with the guides l to hold the main frame andtruck in a given relative position. The truck forms a convenient wheelsupport for sustaining the major part of the weight and enabling themachine to be propelled or drawn over the road or field with theexpenditure of a minimum amount of force. A standard 5 is secured at itslower end to the bolster 3 and projects vertically therefrom. Thestandard 5 may be of any substantial construction and is centrallydisposed with reference to the truck and is provided upon its front sidewith a wear plate 6. The upper portion of the standard 5 is bifurcatedand receives a lever 7 which is longitudinally disposed and verticallyadjustable. The standard is formed with a plurality of openings 8 and isadapted to receive a pin 9 upon which the lever is mounted. A toothedbar 10 is secured to the upper side of the lever 7 in the rear of thestandard 5 and is adapted to cooperate with a bail 11 to hold the leverin the desired adjusted position. A chain 12 or like connection isattached to the front end of the lever 7 and is attached at its lowerend to the main frame. The chain or analogous connection 12 is attachedat its ends to opposite sides of the main frame and intermediate of itsends is adjustably con nected with the lever 7. A bail 11 is pivotallyconnected at its lower end to the truck and its upper end has adjustableconnection with the lever 7.

The main frame comprises similar or like side members and a platform,the latter be ing mounted upon cross pieces 13 which are attached attheir opposite ends to the side members, The platform is indicated at14; and may be of any construction and preferv occasion may require.

ably comprises a plurality of boards or planks placed upon the crosspieces 13 and attached thereto in any manner. The platform 14 receivesthe driver or operator and may be utilized as a support for additionalweight should it be necessary to increase the pressure of the drags orshoes so as to properly compress the surface of the road-way. Each oftheside members of the main frame comprises a long beam 15 and short beams16 and 17 the several beams being connected in any substantial way- Thebeams 17 are located rearmost and are provided at their rear ends withdrags or shoes 18 which are constructed to trail upon the side portionsof the road-Way'and compress the same sufficiently to insure theformation of a serviceable surface. The beams 16 serve to connect thedrag beams 17 with the main beams 15. This construction also providesfor lengthening the side beams or members as The guides 41 extendvertically and consist of loops which receive the axle and bolster ofthe truck, the lower ends of the guides being secured in any substantialway to the side members of the main frame. Cross braces 19 connect theforward ends of the main beams 15 and serve to stiffen and"strengthen'the same. A brace 20 is secured at its lower end to theforward cross bar 13 and inclines upwardly and rearwardly' and isprovided at its upper rear end with a roller 21 which bears against thewear plate 6 and is adapted to travel thereon in the verticaladjustments of the main frame. A post 22 secured at its lower end to thepoint of crossing of the braces 19 has i its upper end secured to thebrace 20, thereby forming a stay therefor.

A block 23 is adapted to be secured to the front en d of each sidemember or main beam 15 and is provided at its front end with a scraperblade 2 e. The scraper blades 24:

incline transversely and may be arranged to move the earth from thecenter of the road outward toward the sides thereof, as indieated inFig. 1,'or from the sides of the road toward the center, as indicated inFig. 5.

The scraper blades 24 are attached to the front ends of the blocks 23and such blocks may be shifted from one side of the machine to the otherwhen adapting the machine to throw the earth outward or inward. U-shaped straps 25 and 26 are secured at their closed ends to. the scraperblades and their furcate ends embrace opposite sides of the v blocks andare bolted or otherwise secured thereto. The U-shaped strap or fastening26 is disposed in a vertical plane and embraces the upper and lowersides of the block 23. The 'U-shaped strap or fastening 25 is disposedin a horizontal plane and its furcate ends embrace opposite edges of theblock. The fastenings 25 and 26 are secured to the scraper blades 24; inany manner and are detachably connected with the blocks to admit of theblades being removed or replaced.

' The machine is adapted more particularly for leveling road-ways byremoving high places and filling low places, such as ruts anddepressions. The machine is equally well adapted for preparing new roadsacross fields and other places.

In the operation of the machine, the same is propelled over the road orfield and the main frame is adjusted to bring the scraper blades to therequired elevation and said scraper blades are adjusted to move theearth outward or inward in the manner hereinbefore stated. The shoes ordrags 18 trail upon the surface in the track of the scraper blades so asto compress the earth and prepare a surface sufficiently dense to resistthe cutting and abrasive action of vehicle wheels. The. operator ordriver stands upon the platform 14 so as to control the lever 10 wherebythe front portion of the main frame may be raised or lowered to bringthe scraper blades to the desired position for action on the surface tothe best possible advantage. The rearward thrust upon the main frame issustained by the guides 4L and the brace 20. The draft may be applieddirectly to the truck or to the main frame and any suitable means may beprovided for this purpose.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In anapparatus of the class described, a rigid frame having scrapers at oneend and drag shoes at the other end, a truck inc1uding bearing wheels,means for supporting said frame for forward movement with said truck,and means carried by said truck for adjusting the said frame vertically.

2. In a road machine, the combination of a truck, a standard risingvertically from the truck, a main frame connected intermediate of itsends with the truck and movable vertically, a brace attached to theforward end of the main frame, and inclining upwardly and rearwardly andmovable vertically on the said standard, a lever fulerumed between itsends to the upper portion of the standard, connecting means between thefront end of the lever and the forward portion of the main frame, andother connecting means between the lower end of the standard and therear portion of the lever and having adjust able connection with thelatter.

3. In a road machine, the combination of a truck comprising a bolsterarranged with its greatest width in a vertical direction, a main frameextending beneath the bolster, loop-shaped guides attached at theirlower ends to the main frame and receiving the bolster, a standardprojecting upward from the bolster, a brace attached to the forwardwardly and rearwardly with its rear end in contact with the front sideof the standard, a lever mounted upon the standard, connecting meansbetween the front end of the lever and the front portion of the mainframe, and an adjustable connection between the bolster of the truck andthe rear portion of the lever.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a rigid frame having scrapersat one end and drag shoes at the other end, guide devices carried bysaid frame, a truck including bearing wheels and a bolster slidablyengaging said guide devices, and means carried by said truck foradjusting said frame vertically on said bolster.

In an apparatus of the class described, a rigid frame having scrapers atone end and drag shoes at the other end, guide devices carried by saidframe, a truck including bearing wheels a bolster and a standard, saidbolster slidably engaging said guide devices, a brace device carried bysaid frame and slidably engaging said standard, and means associatedwith said truck for adjusting said frame vertically on said bolster.

6. In an apparatus of the class described,

members, a scraper at the forward end of 30 each of said side memberswith their confronting ends spaced apart, said scrapers being disposedobliquely to the longitudinal aXis of the side members andinterchangeably connected thereto.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame including sidemembers spaced apart, a drag shoe at the end of each of the sidemembers, supporting devices. interchangeably attached to said sidemembers, and a scraper attached to each of said supporting devices anddirected obliquely to the longitudinal axis'of the same, whereby thescrapers may be arranged to move the earth toward the center or awayfrom the center of the frame.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. DEAN. [Ls] IVitnesses:

VVILLIAM L. DEAN, ROBERT E. Esrns.

flopier of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

